NSW opens ring for women's boxing

[sourpuss]

Just for comparison sake how many bouts over what length of time have you had Sourpuss?

If I look within my state there are only a few girls my weight or close to it so travel is essential.

I get the feeling you have similar kind of situation - maybe even fewer locally since you said the next closest boxing gym was an hour away.

Similar weight - except slightly lighter which if anything would mean fewer opponents I think.

I think in Australia bantamweight (my division) was the most popular female division.

So if we did look for matches and had the funding etc to travel more then I'd be in a better situation to compete than women in other weight classes.

Of course i can't rule out the fact that you might have earnt it more than me too.

Thanks for the encouragment too Nonito.

I don't really want to go rave on about it. In a way i think apart from the ban in NSW which is now gone (yay! ) and the occasional wanker the things which hold back womens boxing are exactly the same things that hold back mens boxing in Australia.

I start to hate reading my own posts when everything i write is negative lately so I can't imagine what it's like for the poor mods who have to trawl through all my whinging crap!

Sorry guys!

I've had 22 bouts and I'm heading into my fourth season. And all of that has been travel. From as close as and hour and a half (couple of times) to the other side of the country.
And now it's getting harder and harder to get matches because I've been to nationals twice and I'm ranked. Now no one will put their girl with less experience in with me. So really the only matches I got last year were either against girls who waaaay out weighed me or top level gals on the national team with far more experience than me. And this season is looking even worse.

[Sharla]

Yeah that's hard but 22 in 4 years is doing pretty well really

Do you get some support to help with travel expenses or is it all out of your own pocket?

Was it all arranged by your coach or do you have some other system happening where you are?

Pity travel is so expensive!

[sourpuss]

It's all out of my pocket. I've actually taken on a second job solely to pay for boxing. We've had a couple of fundraisers but that only brings in a $100 or so and when I went to Golden Gloves there were several people from the community that gave money and it paid for part of it.

But all in all I've spent thousands on travel and driven 1000s of miles to tournament, sleeping in the car and/or camper, shadey hotels, driving all night. It's a miracle that I actually can do well by the time I get in the ring.

I have a lot of bouts considering where I live. (pretty remote) but only because my coach is willing to pretty much drive any distance to get me there. I would have more if I didn't get eliminated at tournaments the first day, haha.
But when I do show up at these tournaments, it's me against gals that have close to 100 bouts and tons of international experience so it's not surprising.

My coach does all the matching, of course other coaches we know in the region are always on the lookout and networking for us as well but as it is now, I've matched everyone within a 5 state area. lol

...so it goes....

[Sharla]

Sounds very difficult.

I guess that's why so may people end up moving for boxing - perhaps after a certain point if you have the flexibility to do so it's easier to move!